Paleo Grasshopper Pie

This is by far one of my favorite desserts, and it is so healthy! The ice cream gets its green color and creaminess from avocados, but it doesn’t detract from the taste at all (I’m not even a fan of avocados, and I could eat this ice cream all day). The crust is composed mainly of nuts, and it is so tasty that you could just eat that on its own if you wanted to. There are several steps to making this pie.

 

Step 1: Make the chocolate chips.

I use chocolate chips both mixed into the ice cream and as a garnish. You can buy your own chocolate chips from the store, but I find it difficult to find chips that don’t have added sugar in them. Instead, I make my own with honey using this recipe which I also copied below. This needs to be frozen and then chopped up into chips, which is why I do it first. Lately, I have been using carob powder as a substitute for cocoa powder since I get insomnia if I eat too much chocolate! Also, I recently found a sugar-free carob chip that can eliminate the time-consuming step of making your own chips!

Ingredients for chocolate chips:

• 1/2 cup (heaping) cocoa powder or carob powder

• 4 tbsp coconut oil (melted)

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1/3 tsp peppermint extract (optional)

• ~1/4 cup shredded coconut, almonds, or other filler (optional)

Directions for chocolate chips:

1. Mix all ingredients together in bowl.

2. Use a spatula to spread mixture into a thin layer on wax paper.

3. Stick in freezer and let solidify.

4. When frozen, remove from freezer and chop to desired size with a knife.

Step 2: Make the crust

Ingredients for crust:

• 1 cup almonds

• 1 cup cashews (or other nut mix of choice)

• 4 medjool dates (pitted)

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder (or carob powder)

• 1-2 tbsp maple syrup (I only use 1 tbsp with carob powder since carob is naturally sweet)

• 3 tbsp coconut oil (melted)

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

• dash of salt

Directions for crust:

1. Use a food processor to chop nuts and cocoa/carob powder into a fine crumble. Add the dates one by one and also process to a fine crumble (I find that if you add all the dates at once, it will turn into a big sticky ball and bind up the food processor).

2. Add remainder of crust ingredients to food processor until it is a uniform mixture.

3. Scoop out mixture into a pie dish and press down with your fingers to form a thin pie crust. Place in freezer while you make your ice cream.

Step 3: Make the mint ice cream

Ingredients for mint ice cream:

• 4 ripe avocados (MUST be soft and a little squishy for it to blend well)

• 1 cup unsweetened almond milk (or coconut milk)

• 6 tbsp honey

• 4 tbsp coconut oil (melted)

• 1 tsp peppermint extract

• Chocolate chips (the ones you made in step 1)

Directions for mint ice cream:

1. Place all ingredients (except chocolate chips) in blender. Blend at high power until smooth and creamy. *Alternatively, you could use an ice cream maker.

2. Mix in chocolate chips to desired amount.

3. Pour ice cream mixture into crust and place in freezer.

4. Once the ice cream becomes solid, you may add more chocolate chips to the top.

5. Enjoy!

This recipe can be time consuming, but it is easy. And it is definitely worth it!